Notes on the Phlebotomus of Panama (Diptera, Psychodidae)

It has been believed until quite recently that all the bloodsucking Psychodidae belong to the genus Phlebotomus. This genus is considered by Theodor (1948) to form the subfamily Phlebotominae, although Eaton (1904) and some earlier authors included Nemopalpus, Sycorax and Trichomyia in the subfamily as well. The haematophagous habit and its concomitant structural modifications, however, are not limited to this group, as Desportes (1942) has shown that Sycorax silacea feeds on frogs and is actually a vector of a frog filaria. Horaiella , a genus described by Tonnoir (1933) as having toothed mandibles in the female, may also possibly be haematophagous, although it does not bite man. Neither of these genera are believed by Tonnoir to belong in the Phlebotominae. More recently Hertig (1948) has described Warileya phlebotomanica from Peru, an avidly haematophagous species, while Fairchild (1949) in describing Hertigia hertigi from Panama indicated that the structure of the mouth parts of the single available specimen, a male, suggests a possible bloodsucking habit.